16 August 2008: Hull 2-1 Fulham. Hull get off to a winning start after coming from behind in their first ever Premier League fixture. Caleb Folan’s winner 10 minutes from time secured victory after Brazilian striker Geovanni scored his first wonder goal of the season.

17 August 2008: Man United 1-1 Newcastle. Kevin Keegan’s side make a promising start after taking the lead through Obafemi Martins against the champions. However, things are far from settled behind the scenes.

30 August 2008: Middlesbrough 2-1 Stoke. A late winner from Tuncay gives Middlesbrough victory against newly promoted Stoke. This result, following an opening day victory against Spurs, sees Gareth Southgate named as August's Manager of the Month.

4 September 2008: Kevin Keegan quits after clashing with Mike Ashley as the wheels start to come off at St James’ Park. Keegan was angry about Dennis Wise and Tony Jiminez’s involvement in the club’s transfer policy.

13 September 2008: Newcastle 1-2 Hull. A Marlon King brace sets Hull on their way to a six-game unbeaten streak as Chris Hughton takes control of first team affairs at Newcastle. In the stands, the fans voice their dissatisfaction at the way the club is being run, amid unfounded rumours of a Keegan return.

25 October 2008: Sunderland 2-1 Newcastle. Kieran Richardson’s sublime free-kick s helps Sunderland beat Newcastle for the first time in eight years. This was just the third victory for Roy Keane’s side, who had endured an indifferent start to the season.

5 December 2008: Roy Keane resigns as Sunderland manager via text message. Sam Allardyce, at this stage still without a club, declares his interest in the job, as coach Ricky Sbragia is named caretaker manager.

20 December 2008: Hull 1-4 Sunderland. Sbargia gets off to a promising start and the Black Cats follow up their emphatic victory over West Brom with another four-goal haul at the KC Stadium. Sbragia’s reward after is an 18 month contract.

26 December 2008: Man City 5-1 Hull. Things are not looking so great for Hull, however, who follow defeat against Sunderland with a lacklustre showing at Eastlands. Phil Brown is so furious at his side, who trail 4-0 at the break, that he delivers his half-time team talk on the pitch.

28 December 2008: Newcastle 1-5 Liverpool. Abysmal Newcastle defending allows Steven Gerrard and Liverpool to waltz to victory on the day that Mike Ashley revealed the club is no longer for sale after failing to find a buyer.

17 January 2009: Hull 1-3 Arsenal. Late goals from Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner sink Hull who are slowly sliding down the league. This home defeat was part of an 11 game run without a win for the Tigers.

17 January 2009: West Brom 3-0 Middlesbrough. Robert Koran scored twice after Chris Brunt’s opener as West Brom secure another rare victory. Afonso Alves, who has just five goals to his name, misses a host of chances for the visitors.

1 February 2009: Club legend Shay Given leaves Newcastle for Manchester City. Charles N’Zogbia also leaves for Wigan in the January window after falling out with Kinnear, while Kevin Nolan (pictured), Ryan Taylor and Peter Lovenkrands join the club.

7 February 2009: Joe Kinnear is rushed to hospital before Newcastle’s 3-2 victory over West Brom before undergoing a triple heart bypass operation. He leaves hospital a week later but does not return to the St James’ Park dugout as Chris Hughton takes the reins once again.

28 February 2009: Middlesbrough 2-0 Liverpool. A Xabi Alonso own-goal and a sweet finish from Tuncay offer Boro a lifeline as they look to climb the table. Ultimately, however, this surprise victory seems to confuse rather than inspire.

1 March 2009: Hull 1-2 Blackburn. Boos ring around the KC Stadium after Geovanni’s substitution is announced. The Brazilian playmaker reacts by applauding the fans criticising Phil Brown’s decision before sulking on the bench.

25 April 2009: West Brom 3-0 Sunderland. Tony Mowbray’s insistence on playing attractive football pays dividends as Baggies fans begin to dream of another great escape. Sunderland, meanwhile, continue to edge nearer to the drop-zone.

3 May 2009: Liverpool 3-0 Newcastle. Joey Barton’s red card leads to a war of words between the player and his manager. Shearer dropped Michael Owen for the game, instead preferring Mark Viduka, but the gamble did not pay off.

4 May 2009: Aston Villa 1-0 Hull. John Carew’s goal was the difference between the sides but it could have been more if it was not for Boaz Myhill in the Hull goal. Phil Brown’s side, who have not won since December, hover perilously in 17th place.

9 May 2009: West Brom 3-1 Wigan. West Brom fans get their calculators out and discover they can still mathematically stay in the league following another great display at The Hawthorns, with Marc-Antoine Fortune and Chris Brunt (pictured) getting the goals.

11 May 2009: Newcastle 3-1 Middlesbrough. Two goals within the first 10 minutes add to the tension to the mother of all six-pointers at a packed St James’ Park. An inspired Alan Shearer substitution proves the difference as Obafemi Martins scores just seconds after coming off the bench to move Newcastle ahead of Hull and out of the bottom three, albeit on goal difference.

16 May 2009: Middlesbrough 1-1 Aston Villa. Stewart Downing is stretchered off as Boro concede a late equaliser, meaning they will have to rely on other results to survive on the final day of the season.

17 May 2009: West Brom 0-2 Liverpool. The day after Manchester United clinch the title, goals from Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt help Liverpool defeat West Brom and send the club back to the Championship.

18 May 2009: Portsmouth 3-1 Sunderland. Sunderland travel south knowing a victory will see them safe. However, despite taking the lead through Kenwyne Jones, sloppy defending means that the threat of relegation still looms large.